Surnames

Nobile

Dashwood

Crowley

Teegarden or Teagarden

Strayer

Riverdale

Silverdale

Hollinger

Galatea

Meaning: (She who is Milk-White, White as Milk, Greek Mythology: Galatea was a statue loved by the sculptor Pygmalion. She was brought to life for him by Aphrodite. The myth, via G.B Shaws play “Pygmalion,” is the source of the musical “My Fair Lady.”)

Origin: (Greek, Greek Mythology)

Pronunciation: (gal-ah-TEE-ah, Gaa-Laa-T-IYaa)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I forget where I saw this. I think this is a lovely but strong name. The look is unique and rare. It has an out of this world look but also a very scholarly look, like I could see a philosopher being named this. So it is a bit of everything, feminine but masculine, fantasy but old world earth, lol! I get so many different vibes from this name. I do love the meanings which are gorgeous and the mythology is very interesting.

Olinde

Meaning: (Protector, Scented)

Origin: (Latin, Spanish)

Pronunciation: (Oh-lind)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I forget where I saw this but I liked it instantly. It just reminds me of a romantic style name. Like I could see someone named this spouting poetry to their loved one or something, lol. The look is great and the meanings I like a lot. I would love to see this name more often and I am thinking seriously of using this name myself in one of my future novels. I just love, love this name.

Caprice

Meaning: (Fancifulness, Impulsive, Whim, Whimsical, Playful, Tantrum, a Lively Piece of Music. From Italian Capriccio which originally referred to a feeling of horror causing the hair to stand on end (in Italian Capriccio, meaning, Hedgehog Head) the word later became associated with Italian Capra, referring to the goat, and animal whose sudden changes in direction and jumps indicate Capriciousness. Also hence the musical term.)

Origin: (Italian, French, English)

Pronunciation: (Ka-PREESE, Kah-PREES, Kaa-PRI-Z)

Gender: Female

I have wanted to put this on for sometime but didn’t remember to put in on the list until I saw Pride & Prejudice (2005) the other day and they used the word and it reminded me to use the word as a name as it was often used. I like the sweet look to this and the meanings. It has a sweet lovely feminine vibe to it and I think would make a cool characters name. I think it would look cool on a noblewoman, ex. Lady Caprice, Princess Caprice.

Afton

Meaning: (Afternoon, Evening, From the River Afton, From Affa’s Settlement, Also the name of a river, which appears in a song, Place Name: a town in Southern Scotland. From a geographical term; Aftonian- coming from the ice relating to glaciers.

Poet Robert Burns wrote a love sonnet featuring a small river named Afton. First Verse:

Flow gently, sweet Afton, among the green braes!

Flow gently, I’ll sing thee a song in thy praise!

My Mary’s asleep by the murmuring stream—

Flow gently, sweet Afton, disturb not her dream! )

Origin: (Old English, Swedish)

Pronunciation: (AF-tun, AHFTahN)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I can’t remember why I added this name to my list but I like the look and the meanings. It isn’t too memorable a name to me because I don’t see it enough but if I did it could grow even more on me. Unfortunately it will probably be a name I easily forget which I hate. I think it looks like it would make an awesome ships name or a fantasy characters last name.

Aelfwaru

Meaning: (Elf Guardian, derived from the Old English element aelf “elf” and waru (plural wara) “guard” (i.e., guardian of a particular place by profession),  Ælfwaru (died 27 February 1007) was an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman, who bequeathed her lands to churches such as Ely, and Ramsey. Chroniclers, writing in the 12th century, transcribed such bequests, from the original cyrographs. Ælfwaru's cyrograph has not survived. Ælfwaru's father, Æthelstan Mannessune, had two sons: Eadnoth, and Godric; and two daughters: Ælfwaru, and Ælfwyn.

Her lineage is unknown. However, modern historians have constructed a plausible family tree. Ælfwaru is believed to be one of two daughters to Æthelstan Mannessune (d. 986), the other being Ælfwyn, abbess of Chatteris. If this is the case, Ælfwaru's brothers were St Eadnoth the martyr (d. 1016), first abbot of Ramsey, and Godric (d.1013).

It is recorded within one chronicle, Liber Eliensis, that Ælfwaru granted to Ely Abbey the lands of Bridgham, Hingham, Weeting, Rattlesden, Mundford, Thetford, and fisheries around those marshes. Ælfwaru also granted the lands of Over and Barley to Chatteris nunnery, where her sister was abbess. The fisheries mentioned here are interesting. They link the Ælfwaru mentioned in Liber Eliensis, with the Ælfwaru, daughter of Æthelstan Mannessune, whose cyrograph is documented in Liber Benefactorum Ecclesiae Ramesiensis. If this is indeed the same Ælfwaru, then her father bequeathed lands to his children, including a fishery, which he shared out between his unnamed wife, his sons, and his two daughters.

The name Ælfwaru is made out of two parts; old English (OE) Ælf- and -waru. Ælf- means Elf- or magical being and -waru (singular; -wara plural) means guardian of (a particular place) by profession. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%86lfwaru )

Origin: (Anglo-Saxon)

Pronunciation: (elf-wahr-yoo, ehlf-wahr-ooh)

Gender: Female

I was looking up elf meaning names and came upon this one. Though it looks very odd it is because it is Old English. I do like the meaning and the interesting look of this name. It wouldn’t fit everywhere I would say but if used the right way it could name an amazing characters name and interesting story as to why it was used by an author. The only down fall is the pronunciation which is a tad difficult but that aside I like it a lot. The pronunciation is my take on it because I literarily couldn’t find it anywhere. Given the rarity of this name I am not surprised by my lack of finding a pronunciation. If anyone has it could you please just comment and let me know.

 

I do rather like the history of the noblewoman named this. Plus I have used a later version of her father's name Athelstan *see on list of posts* before in one of my novels. Aelfwaru is a strong name which I really like and I may someday add her siblings names to this blog as they are rather interesting and strong too.  

Tauriel

Meaning: (Daughter of Mirkwood)

Origin: (Elvish, Fictional)

Pronunciation:  (Tow-riel, TaH-REE-EL)

Gender: Female

I first saw this in the movie The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug. In the movie she was a character created for the movie and not in the book. I really came to like this character. She is strong and determined to do what is right, she is an elf too. Now since it was made up from Tolkien’s language by the movie director this can’t be used by other writers but it can be used as a screen name, name change, a child’s name, pet’s name, the skies the limit. The meaning is lovely and it is a beautiful name. I intend to name a future character Toriel (but pronounced TOW-RYE-EL but often pronounced TORE-EE-EL) so that I can use a name similar but not quite Tauriel.

Kili

Meaning: (From the Narrow Land, Narrow, Slender, variant of the name Kyle. Comes from “KILI’ KAHA’E’LAH,” name of the great underwater volcano deep in the Pacific. Birth to him was two sons, KI’LAWAIA, and KILI…. Kili, the smaller brother but with equal powers as the big brother, yet in human form (as a mortal man) meaning; Lover, Warrior, Leader, Hunter of the Bullie Hearted. Is said he will search forever and a day for his virtuous Queen from the Islands where he will return to live among the mortals and raise a family with his Queen. This is sacred scrips, (ancient diolg).)

Origin: (Celtic, Polynesian Mythology, Fictional, Literature)

Pronunciation: (Key-lee, KEE-LEE, Keel-ee, Kill-ee)

Gender: Male, Possibly Uni-Sex

I first saw this in the movie The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. One of the Dwarves in Thorin Oakenshields Company is one of Thorin’s nephews Kili. I came to really love this name. Since it is a real name not one made up primarily by J.R.R Tolkien it can be used by other writers. I have decided to name a future character this. I think the name though short has a nice strong look to it. I like the meanings and the mythology is wonderful and very cool, I love myths like that. I think it looks like a handsome name not seen or heard often.

Dren

Meaning: (Deer, European Cornel, From Serbian дрен/dren meaning European Cornel (Cornus mas) (type of dogwood). The tree is a symbol of strength and health in Serbian culture, having an idiom "здрав к'о дрен/zdrav k'o dren" which equates to English "fit as a fiddle". Therefore, the name is meant to denote "a strong and healthy individual". The region of Drenica in Kosovo is named after it.

It is a unisex name in Albanian culture, particularly common for males in Kosovo. The origin of this name may be from the Albanian word dre for deer.)

Origin: (Albanian, Serbian, Croatian)

Pronunciation: (drin, D-REN)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I was watching the movie Splice and the human-animal hybrid that is genetically cloned is named Dren by the doctors. I didn’t see the whole movie but what I saw was creepy. However the name Dren is pretty cool. It is short and seemingly pronounceable. The meanings are strong and interesting. It would work on either gender or if you want female I suppose you can go with Drena, as I saw that spelling recently.

Morrigan

Meaning: (Great Queen, Phantom Queen, Derived from Irish Mór Ríoghain, In Irish myth she was a goddess of war and death who often took the form of a crow. The Morrígan is a goddess of battle, strife, and sovereignty. She sometimes appears in the form of a crow, flying above the warriors, and in the Ulster cycle she also takes the forms of an eel, a wolf and a cow. She is generally considered a war deity comparable with the Germanic Valkyries, although her association with a cow may also suggest a role connected with wealth and the land.

There is some disagreement over the meaning of the Morrígan's name. Mor may derive from an Indo-European root connoting terror or monstrousness, cognate with the Old English maere (which survives in the modern English word "nightmare") and the Scandinavian mara and the Old Russian "mara" ("nightmare"); while rígan translates as 'queen'. This can be reconstructed in Proto-Celtic as *Moro-rīganī-s. Accordingly, Morrígan is often translated as "Phantom Queen". This is the derivation generally favoured in current scholarship.

In the Middle Irish period the name is often spelled Mórrígan with a lengthening diacritic over the 'o', seemingly intended to mean "Great Queen" (Old Irish mór, 'great'; this would derive from a hypothetical Proto-Celtic *Māra Rīganī-s). Whitley Stokes believed this latter spelling was due to a false etymology popular at the time. There have also been attempts by modern writers to link the Morrígan with the Welsh literary figure Morgan le Fay from Arthurian romance, in whose name 'mor' may derive from a Welsh word for 'sea', but the names are derived from different cultures and branches of the Celtic linguistic tree. For more information on the Irish Mythology and name see- ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Morr%C3%ADgan} )

Origin: (Irish, Irish Mythology, Celtic)

Pronunciation: (Mo-Rih-gAWn, moe-rEE-an, moe-rEE-gan, mo-ree-an, MOOR-ee-an, mor-ree-gun)

Gender: Female

I was watching syfy channels Heroes of Cosplay a few months ago. One of the cosplayers dressed up like a character named this from a video game. I really like the name, it looks like Morgan but a tad bit cooler. It looks like a name that could be in a science fiction or fantasy setting and really work or could be in a very historical setting and work there too. It is pretty and I like the meanings a lot but the mythology is a bit dark but may work for an antagonist characters name. All in all a very interesting name which I kind of love.